Some Views. . .

In just over two months, I've visited three cities in Italy.  We have settled in to a new house.  We are almost adjusted to not having a car.  We've made friends and voted via absentee ballots.

We haven't learned as much Italian as we should have.  It will get better, but a one day a week class is just not enough.  One of these days, we will actually start practicing outside of class.

The internet problems have been solved for now, thanks to a USB key that connects to a wireless network.  Wireless internet is an ongoing battle at the school (200 students always wanting to watch you tube videos is not a good thing), but this is a temporary solution so Tom can work.

On Monday, our "stuff" comes.  Warm clothes and shoes and our bikes are the things we most look forward to.  While none of it is anything that I "need" and my mom kindly points out that I probably already have more clothes in Italy than many of my students, I will still be happy to see our 24 boxes.

We have not adjusted to being residence tutors.  Living next to teenagers is difficult.  They are not intentionally loud, but we hear chairs being pushed around and doors slamming at all hours of the night. Their idea of "quiet hours" and ours is quite different.  They keep telling me the residence is "calmer and quieter" this year than last, and all I can think is that last year must have been awful.

Last week my boss was in New Mexico visiting the US United World College.  He commented this week that "the US is really quiet different, culturally, than Europe or the UK.  Have you noticed that?"  Um, yes, we have.  And there are things we love about it and things we hate about it.  But overall, we are still loving our adventures!

Check out some pictures from our first few months here (no facebook account or sign-in necessary).

Sentiero Rilke

I don't think I've ever hiked on any other trail as much as I've hiked on the Rilke Trail.  I've been starting most days with a hike up the trail, and often go a second time in the afternoon with Kristen.  The trail never gets boring because the terrain is so interesting and the view of the Adriatic transforms so quickly with the ever-changing weather conditions here in Duino.  One minute the sun is glaring in your eyes off the white-washed rocks along the trail and the next minute a light mist is rolling in off the sea.  

If you stay on the trail it's a fairly easy hike.  Most of the time you are walking on crushed stone on level ground as the trail weaves in and out of forest high above the Adriatic Sea. Every so often there are lookouts with comfortable benches for relaxing and enjoying the view, which usually includes a different view of the Duino Castle at each stop.  But the real fun starts when you venture off the trail just a bit...not too much though because the cliffs drop off about a hundred meters or more in a hurry!  

As soon as you go off the trail you need to be prepared for rougher travel as the crushed stone gives way to sharp rocks.  The cliffs are made of well-weathered limestone called "karst" which is very tough to walk on.  The karst is a mix of big boulders and smaller chuncks of rock that are eroded down to a maze of sometimes razor sharp points.  A good pair of rock shoes is a must if you want to climb around, along with a good sense of balance (I often wonder what it would feel like to fall down on these rocks).  Fortunately, I bought this pair of rock climbing "approach" shoes in the US that I thought might be useful on the rocky terrain.  My favorite hiking shoes ever!

Hiking off the trail gets you to some really cool viewpoints that are a little more secluded than the spots along the trail with the benches.  A little scrambling gets you into areas that are full of birds too!  Well, they may not really have more birds than the rest of the trail, but the secluded spots often have better views for looking out over the treetops along the cliffs so you can more easily watch the flocks of migrants landing in otherwise hidden spots.  The bird in the photo is one of the more common birds you'll see along the trail, a Coal Tit.  They seem to be the nuclear species in the mixed foraging flocks right now...in other words, they are the species that all of the other birds in the flocks seem to follow around.  They're really cool because they are super active and not at all shy, often landing just inches above your head while you are watching them.

On the days when Kristen and I take an afternoon hike up the Rilke Trail we sometimes get treated to a spectacular sunset behind the Duino Castle.  This shot is from my new favorite secret spot that I discovered this week.  I told you the trail offers a lot of different views of the castle!  But this view is not one that most people will probably see.  I think we'll keep it a secret for a while.

Buona Sera!

Arezzo!

On Friday at 11, I boarded a bus with 34 students and 1 Italian teacher.  By 5:30 pm, we were in Arezzo, in the middle of Tuscany.
I am still amazed at just how old things can be.  The streets we walked up and down were from the middle ages.  As I wandered through one of the old stone churches, I felt like I was in a movie ("Robin Hood" with Kevin Costner, to be exact).  There was a wall around the old part of the city, and on opposite ends of the center of town were a medieval fortress and Roman ruins.
The students participated in a "conference" which consisted of various city and state level Italian officials delivering speeches.  Because my Italian isn't quite good enough for listening to three hours of speeches by politicians, I snuck out of the conference and wandered around in the fog.  The weather wasn't great for pictures, so check out wikipedia if you want to see it (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arezzo).
This area of Italy is known for textiles and food.  I paid WAY too much for a beautifully soft cashmere and silk scarf, and we were served three multi-course meals in two days.  I think we spent at least 10 hours eating.  Finger foods with cocktails, appetizers, first course, another first course, second course, dessert, and coffee was the order of every single meal.  It was all delicious and accompanied by local wines.  I did get some pictures of the food. . . here are most of the courses from Saturday's dinner.

Antipasta (this followed appetizers during cocktail hour)

Pasta--some kind of rolled pasta with cheese and mushroom spaghetti-type pasta

World's biggest t-bone steak, cheesy potatoes and an artichoke heart

Dessert with local sweet wine to complement it (sorry, no chocolate or gelato this time)

Espresso

Sunday we had to come back to Duino.  Though we were only gone for two and a half days, it felt like much longer.  The kids were well behaved--it seems I've lucked into another teaching job with some of the world's best students.
I can't wait to take Tom back to Tuscany!

The Tuscan hills (view from the bus)

Busy Days

I realize I haven't blogged in ages.  I think about it all the time, but there's always some excuse.  I wanted a picture but it's on Tom's phone.  I don't have anything "important" to say.  I'm too busy to do it.  But if I keep making excuses, you all will stop reading!  And there is plenty to say, with and without pictures.  I'm also never going to not be "too busy."  That's just how I am.  Always busy.  And, really, I always have something to say.

So a little about my typical (busy) days.

A Moka

Days start around 6:30, and Tom and I usually have coffee and breakfast together.  Coffee is made in a "moka," a small Italian coffee pot.  It is usually delicious.  We have found that we never remember the coffee (or the wine, or the cheese) that is really good when we go to the grocery store, so there is lots of trial and error.  We now have a list on the fridge to write the "best" brands of things.  That should help.

Tom walks with me to my office (less than 5 min) and then he goes on a birding walk.  Once he saw something really good and came back to get me.  Luckily, things are relaxed enough in my office that I can leave for 10 min to see a bird, or have a cup of coffee, or retrieve the cell phone or notebook that I've left at home.

I'm in the office by 8.  I teach one or two 55 minute classes a day, depending on what day in the 8-day cycle it is.  I like the 8-day tumbling block, even though I know it would give most teachers nightmares. At 11, everyone stops for coffee break.  Teachers, Admin Staff, and students all get 20 min off.  It's a nice time to get out of the office and see everyone, but depending on how many people you need to see (or need to see you) it can be a bit hectic.

Lunch in Mensa (I think that's Italian for cafeteria) starts at 12:45, and it's best to get there before the last class ends at 1:20 so you don't have to fight with the students for a spot in line.  The food is quite good, for a cafeteria.

Val Rosandra,
one of our hikes

Activities start at 2:30.  One day a week I have Italian class with other teachers.  Another day is social service, when I drive a HUGE van with 6 students up to a botanical garden where we remove invasive species (http://www.giardinobotanicocarsiana.it/en/giardino.html)  Another day is yearbook meetings, and every other Friday is hiking.  That's my favorite, because  if you have to work on a Friday, you might as well be hiking.  And we hike in (or to) Slovenia.  How often do you just run off to another country for an afternoon hike?!?

Usually I'm home by 5 or 6 (sometimes there is an hour or two of work to do in the office after activities) and one of us makes dinner.  The only alternative to making dinner is getting a pizza to go from the shop in town.  It's pretty good pizza but we miss having lots of food options nearby.

That is my typical work day.  We are settling in nicely and I like having some sort of routine.  I miss my trips to the gym and the freedom of having a car to run out for whatever I "need" (chocolate, ice cream, take out) but overall, we are happy here.

Autunno in Italia

Fall seems to be arriving in Italy.  The change in color as you walk along the Sentiero Rilke high on the cliffs of Duino is subtle.  The change in weather on the other hand is not quite as subtle.  The nights are much cooler now and the days usually start off with clouds or mist reminiscent of the weather in Oregon.  By around noon the sun still often comes out, but rainy days are much more frequent.  The hot, dry summer days that we had when we first moved to Italy are a thing of the past for sure.

The birds have finally just started to migrate past our area as well.  Huge flocks of House Martins and Barn Swallows swarm along the cliffs when there is north wind, waiting for the right moment to head across the Adriatic to winter down in Africa.  Blackcaps, a warbler that looks more like a Catbird, are very common now.  Overall the diversity is still not that great, but every day we still seem to find one or two new species that we've never seen before.  This weekend Kristen finally got to see the European Kingfisher, which is probably my favorite bird so far in Italy.  Nothing like our Belted Kingfisher back in NJ, this Kingfisher glows an iridescent turquoise-blue and buzzes low and fast over the water more like a giant bee than a bird.  Un bello uccello!

Ciao,
Tom